Rapid Reaction: Auburn crushes Purdue in Music City Bowl

Head coach Gus Malzahn took over the playcalling duties and the Auburn Tigers went off on Friday.

With a potent combination of run and pass, Auburn flattened Purdue 63-14 on Friday in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, in Nashville.

In the first meeting between the programs, Auburn played with purpose from the opening kickoff and finished the 2018 season in impressive fashion. Their final 8-5 record is the third such finish in six years under Malzahn.

The Tigers were focused and determined on both sides of the football, punishing the outmanned Boilermakers (6-7) with an unrelenting offense that scored on their first seven possessions. Auburn put the game out of reach midway through the first quarter.

The Tigers led 56-7 at halftime. It was the most points ever scored in the first half of any FBS bowl game. After two quarters, the Tigers had already set a Music City Bowl scoring record and set an Auburn program record for points scored in a bowl game. Auburn came within seven points of the NCAA all-time bowl scoring record.

They played in a bowl for the sixth consecutive season under Malzahn, but came out with very different results. Auburn had won only once before in the postseason under Malzahn, capturing the 2015 Birmingham Bowl.

Running back Boobee Whitlow scored three touchdowns over the first eight minutes of the game, staking the Tigers to a 21-0 lead before Purdue could gain its footing. Then WR Darius Slayton added three more first-half touchdowns as the Tigers piled on.

Whitlow capped the opening drive with a 66-yard catch-and-run with a pass from QB Jarrett Stidham.

The Tigers then drove 87 yards in nine plays with Whitlow, from the wildcat formation, scoring on a 2-yard run. Once again, from the wildcat formation, he added a 1-yard touchdown run three plays after DB Javaris Davis came up with his second interception of the season, picking off Purdue QB David Blough and returning it 15 yards to the Boilermakers 18-yard line.

Stidham wasted little time answering Purdue’s first-quarter touchdown, unloading a 74-yard touchdown strike to a wide open Slayton, and the Tigers led 28-7.

Defensive lineman Derrick Brown stopped Purdue RB Markell Jones for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play at the Boilers’ 44-yard line as a desperate Purdue offense tried in vain to get back in the game. Two plays later, Slayton took a screen pass from Stidham, who was sacked on the previous play, and outraced the Purdue defense down the sidelines, 52 yards untouched. Auburn led 35-7 just a couple of minutes into the second quarter.

As effective as the Auburn offense was, the Tigers defense was equally dominant. Defensive lineman Tyrone Truesdell batted a Blough pass into the waiting arms of Auburn teammate and fellow DL Big Kat Bryant, who completed a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. With 12:29 to play in the second quarter, Auburn’s lead ballooned to 42-7.

It was a little more difficult on Auburn’s sixth offensive drive of the game. The Tigers were forced to convert two fourth-down plays to complete a 12-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. With 5:36 to play in the second quarter, RB Anthony Schwartz capped the march with a 6-yard run and the Tigers matched West Virginia’s Music City Bowl record for points scored in its 49-38 victory over Ole Miss in 2000.

The Tigers set the scoring mark on their next drive. Stidham threw 34 yards to Slayton for the score.

They made it look easy. Stidham completed 13 of 18 first-half passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Slayton was on the receiving end of three of those and finished the first two quarters with three catches for 160 yards.

And it didn’t stop there. Auburn drove 78 yards in 12 plays on its first possession of the second half with Stidham tossing a shovel pass to Ryan Davis, who took it 5 yards to the end zone and a 63-7 lead. The touchdown broke the SEC record for points scored in a bowl game, held by Alabama in a 61-6 thrashing of Syracuse at the 1953 Orange Bowl.

Stidham’s final game at Auburn was done with five minutes left in the third quarter. In his final game as a Tiger, Stidham threw for 373 yards and five touchdowns, completing 15 of 21 passes, before taking his final bow to cheers from Auburn fans making the trek.

Most of the season they were playing SEC defenses! I had seen “predictions” of a Purdue win due to their superb passing ability and imaginative play calling. I didn’t see it then and NO ONE can see it now. AU had too much speed all over the field – hope that trend continues with the OTHER SEC/BigOneGee matchups!

@Kirby, it was one game against a very mediocre opponent – but the domination and explosive plays were impressive. I’m not a Gus fan, but since Pres Leath didn’t consult me on a potential buyout … he’s my prom date next season. I’ll get dressed up, dance and hope we get lucky ;)

Who knows, maybe a QB emerges and CGM can dial up another November beat down of UGA like 2017.

Well once Stidham came out they put in a bunch of guys that haven’t really played and Purdue kept their first string in. Gatewood showed promise and we would have scored but Gus kneeled it. Also after Stidham left Gus was just burning the clock instead of trying to score so I would take it with a grain of salt. I do see us having a drop off at the qb position though unless Gatewood or Nix can get some development this off season

It was fûcking Purdue you shît heels! Lmao!!!!!! Yes, the same Purdue team that had to hang on by their cûnt hairs and beat Indiana to become bowl eligible.. you morons need to calm the hell down. Gus has been calling the plays all along, and if you think different then your mother is your sister and your dad is your brother. Well that actually goes without saying anyway, considering it’s auburn we are talking about!

Dude, smoked something and calm down. You make the rest of us Bama fans look bad. Purdue might’ve not been the best opponent but they had a chance to put together a game like they did against Ohio State and Auburn didn’t let it happen. Congrats on the win Auburn, even if you did break an Alabama record in the process.

That same Purdue team beat the brakes off of Ohio State, so while they aren’t a great team by any stretch, they are capable of greatness. Auburn set the all-time SEC record for points scored in a bowl game, so the performance speaks for itself. I get you’re blinded by homerism and frankly I’m surprised you didn’t die back during the Bama Iron bowl drought of the 21rst century. $100.00 says you were never enrolled at Bama, $1000.00 says you never got a degree from there, and $10,000.00 says you beat your sister wife when you get drunk on natty light, and $1,000,000.00 says you haven’t missed a klan rally in 43 years. Good luck when you face the heisman winner.

You saying it was the same play calling as the rest of the year makes you look ignorant. Anyone who has even an ounce of knowledge about Auburn this year saw the play calling that got us to 7-5 vs the play calling in MSB was night/day different.

This was a heck of a game for Auburn. Who knows what the next season holds, but they came ready to play. In this day when the best seniors typically sell out their coach and their teammates by sitting out the bowl game, the fact that ALL of Auburn’s draft-eligible players suited up and contributed to this win is impressive. It says something about Malzahn that all of his players played. I respect that.

I agree, shows that the players have complete faith in their coach and they support him 100%. To think more about the team his ideals and their direction than their own personal financial gain is very refreshing and something you do not see a lot of these days.

This is the same dud that thumped Ohio State, a team that was bowl eligible right up until the last minute when it came down to decision time. It’s why the games are played, every dog can have its day. Auburn’s day was today!